Personality Tests – Permission to be Comfortable, or Tools to Grow?

Personality Tests – Permission to be Comfortable, or Tools to Grow?

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October 30, 2016

At work today I heard someone talking about the results of a personality test our peers did on everyone else to figure out what type of personality others thought we were/how we come off: Driver, Expressive, Amiable or Analytical. I heard, after this person mentioning how he doesn’t like to send info to people over email when they request it, him say “I’m an Expressive, I like collaboration! That’s just who I am!”

One of the most common things I hear when people are affirmed by taking a personality test or by reading a horoscope or something similar is when they hear something in it that they agree with, they will say something like “That’s why I always do ______” or “That’s why I always ___________” and follow that up with “…because that’s who I am!”, or something else stating that they are who they are and don’t change… This is dangerous.

Don’t think like that. Realize that a personality test, whether done by you on yourself or done by others on you, is a snapshot of you at that time. It may reflect deeper truths about you, but it is still a snapshot. You can always change or adjust, but you must realize and believe that you can. If you use the results of these tests to simply affirm who you are, you are allowing yourself to stay as you are. You’re deciding to sit down where it’s comfortable and familiar rather than take the risk of trying out something you’re not used to (other personality types you’re not and actions you don’t normally do).

Instead, use these tests as a way to see who you are right now so you know where to go from here. Use it as a green light, not a stop light.

And as for horoscopes… well if I can’t get you to simply throw them in the fucking trash can, then at least don’t use them for comfort or reassurance – use them for growth.

About Me

Hey everyone! I'm an aspiring entrepreneur working to discover the truth of myself and create groups that truly help people. Adding on unquenchable wanderlust, insatiable curiosity, constant experimentation and an itch for authoring my experiences, I seem to get into some pretty diverse and fun stuff! I'll share what I can here, and on my social media profiles when I can. Feel free to ask me anything!